Effective June 1, the sale and use of four types of pesticides—omethoate, carbofuran, methomyl, and aldicarb—are prohibited.

In accordance with the requirements of Announcement No. 736 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, starting from June 1, the sale and use of four types of highly toxic pesticides—omethoate, carbofuran, methomyl, and aldicarb—are officially banned nationwide. On the day the ban came into effect, agricultural and rural affairs departments across the country simultaneously launched special inspections of the agricultural input market and publicized legal education, strictly regulating the entire chain of pesticide operation and use.

Before the implementation of the ban, local agricultural and rural affairs authorities had already issued policy notices to pesticide retail outlets, agricultural product production enterprises, planting cooperatives, large-scale planting entities, plant protection service organizations, and the vast number of farmers. They detailed rules for inventory counts, product recalls, harmless disposal, and penalties for violations. According to the deadline, outlets with qualifications for selling restricted-use pesticides were required to complete a full inventory count of the four banned pesticides by May 31, truthfully report the categories, quantities, and storage locations to the local county-level agricultural and rural affairs department, and improve their business ledgers.

The new regulations clearly state that after June 1, no entity may sell the aforementioned four pesticides. Business entities that still hold inventory must seal them on-site immediately and carry harmless disposal under the supervision of agricultural law enforcement agencies; private dumping, transferring, or concealing of pesticides is strictly prohibited. For illegal acts such as concealing inventory or privately transferring goods, law enforcement agencies will impose severe penalties in accordance with the law upon verification.

Regarding the remaining pesticides in the hands of farmers, this ban is accompanied by a product recall mechanism. Pesticide retailers must contact farmers who purchased the pesticides one by one before May 31 to explain the new ban. Unused pesticides of these four categories held by farmers must be uniformly returned to the original sales outlets for recall, and their continued use in fields is strictly prohibited. Business units must fully retain ledgers of notifications, recalls, and disposals for inspection.

In terms of penalty standards, the severity of the new regulations is clear. According to relevant provisions of the "Regulations on the Administration of Pesticides," for those who illegally operate the four banned pesticides after June 1, the competent authorities will order a cessation of business activities and confiscate illegal gains, the pesticides involved, and the tools used; if the value of the goods is less than 10,000 yuan, a fine of 5,000 to 50,000 yuan will be imposed; if the value exceeds 10,000 yuan, a fine of 5 to 10 times the value will be imposed; in serious circumstances, the pesticide operation license will be revoked; and if a crime is suspected, the case will be transferred to judicial authorities for criminal liability. Illegal use is also subject to strict control; entities that use pesticides illegally will be fined 50,000 to 100,000 yuan, and individuals who use pesticides illegally will be fined up to 10,000 yuan; those who violate criminal law will be pursued for criminal responsibility. Currently, law enforcement teams across the country are conducting comprehensive investigations of physical agricultural input stores, mobile vendors, and online agricultural sales channels to block loopholes in the circulation of banned pesticides.

It is understood that the four pesticides, including omethoate and carbofuran, are highly toxic and virulent. Improper application can easily harm the quality and safety of agricultural products and destroy the ecological environment of farmland. This comprehensive ban is a key step in China's work to phase out highly toxic pesticides. Previously, several highly toxic pesticides such as methamidophos have successively withdrawn from the domestic agricultural input market.

Brief Introduction to the Scope of Application of the Four Banned Highly Toxic Pesticides

1. Omethoate (Organophosphorus highly toxic insecticide)

Control targets and applicable crops: Cotton, wheat, rice, fruit trees (apples, citrus, pear trees), vegetables, and forests.

Mainly targets piercing-sucking mouthparts pests such as aphids, red spiders, planthoppers, thrips, and scale insects. It has systemic insecticidal effects and is mostly used for pest control in field grain and oil crops and economic crops.

2. Carbofuran (Carbamate highly toxic drug, mainly granules)

Applicable scenarios: Corn, soybeans, peanuts, sugarcane, rice, cotton, and soil treatment for some nursery seedlings.

Uses: Soil broadcasting to control underground pests such as grubs, mole crickets, and wireworms; also used to control rice thrips, rice borers, and other small above-ground pests at the seedling stage; foliar spraying is strictly prohibited.

3. Methomyl (Carbamate highly toxic insecticide)

Applicable crops: Cotton, tobacco, kale, cabbage, and other cruciferous vegetables, fruit trees.

Uses: Foliar spraying, specifically for controlling chewing and piercing-sucking pests such as cotton bollworms, cabbage caterpillars, aphids, and diamondback moths; it has strong quick-acting properties.

4. Aldicarb (Virulent carbamate, limited to granular soil application)

Applicable crops: Cotton, peanuts, tobacco, garden seedlings, and ornamental flowers.

Uses: Soil burial application to control root-knot nematodes, underground pests (grubs, nematodes), and seedling aphids; it is virulent, and foliar spraying or use on fruit and vegetable harvesting crops is prohibited.

Supplementary Remarks

All four types of agents are highly/virulent toxic. Previously, they were subject to long-term restricted use management: their use on fresh-eating crops such as fruits, vegetables, tea, and traditional Chinese medicinal materials has long been restricted;

Starting from June 1, 2026, the sale and application of all categories and all crops are prohibited, and remaining pesticides are uniformly recalled, sealed, and subjected to harmless treatment.

Table of Major Domestic Manufacturers of the Four Banned Highly Toxic Pesticides

The four highly toxic pesticides comprehensively banned this time—omethoate, carbofuran, methomyl, and aldicarb—have the following core domestic production enterprises:

The person in charge of the agricultural and rural affairs department stated that after the withdrawal of the four types of pesticides, all localities will accelerate the screening and promotion of low-toxic and high-efficiency alternative pesticides, popularize green pest and disease control technologies, and ensure the orderly connection of planting production. At the same time, the law enforcement department reminds that if random dumping or malicious low-price dumping of waste banned pesticides causes pollution or loss of life and property, the responsible parties must bear corresponding legal responsibilities; if members of the public discover clues of illegal sales or use of the banned pesticides, they may report to the local agricultural and rural affairs or agricultural comprehensive law enforcement departments. Relevant practitioners and growers must abandon luck, complete inventory clearance and standardized disposal of residual pesticides in accordance with regulations, and hold the bottom line of agricultural product quality and ecological safety.